Mentor program begins for female coaches

Today marks a significant time in the aspirations of six budding female coaches as the newly established female coaches mentor program officially commences.

From the expressions of interest submitted, the field was narrowed down and the first beneficiaries of the program have been confirmed, with the six approved applicants for year one being Mel Andreatta (Qld), Leah Blayney (NSW), Lauren Colthorpe (Northern NSW), Rae Dower (ACT), Heather Garriock (NSW) and Tanya Oxtoby (WA).

The establishment of the mentor program, which was announced in November last year to female coaches with a ‘C’ Licence or higher, has been introduced with the aim to increase the number of advanced accredited female coaches who possess the necessary knowledge and experience to coach at the highest level.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) Head of Community and Women’s Football, Emma Highwood is grateful and delighted to have the mentor program in place and believes it is a significant step in the progression and quality of the country’s female coaching fraternity.

“This exciting development and program has only been made possible thanks to the support of the FIFA Goal Project funding and the Australian Sports Commission’s Women Leaders in Sport grant,” said Highwood.

“We thank all of the female coaches who submitted an application and congratulate the six that have been selected.

“There was a stringent and thorough assessment process undertaken to determine the coaches who would receive the scholarship, and we now look forward to assisting them enhance their coaching abilities and look forward to following their progress throughout the year.”

A major component of FFA’s Women’s Football Strategic Plan, the 12 month scholarship will see the mentees participate in professional development activities run by FFA, attend activities organised by their relevant Member Federations, as well as provide feedback during the evaluation process.

Further to obtaining some financial support throughout the year, successful applicants will also receive coaching and high performance profiling through the Australian Sports Commission, access to high level training sessions with national Teams, Member Federations & Westfield W-League teams, as well as hands on support and guidance through a formalised mentorship program.

For information on a range of available coaching courses and resources click here.